Hyrkanian/Turanian Pantheon missing info!

[Anonymous]

The benefits/requirements section of the Hyrkanian/Turanian religion entry is completely missing from the book! Any help apreciated, as I've got a Hyrkanian PC who needs this info!

 

[Anonymous]

The benefits/requirements section of the Hyrkanian/Turanian religion entry is completely missing from the book! Any help apreciated, as I've got a Hyrkanian PC who needs this info!

*bump*

Paging MongoosePaul: I need an answer, please!

 

[Anonymous]

Requirements of Worship: Pay a tithe worth 1 sp/level/month.
Benefits of Worship: Atonement, Faith
Requirements for Ordained Priesthood: Knowledge (religion) 6 ranks.
Benefits of Ordained Priesthood: Standard plus as follows: sorcery teaching available (Divinations and Nature magic only).
Typical Punishments for Disloyal Priests: Cast out of the temple.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks! My other question is, in the pastiches, the Hyrkanians worship the "Everlasting Sky" (or the "Four Winds" as stated by Subotai in the CtB movie) while the Turanians are Erlik/Tarim worshippers. Does anyone have any more info on this?

 

[JamesMishler]

Requirements for Ordained Priesthood: Knowledge (religion) 6 ranks.

I recall in GURPS Conan there was also the requirement to abstain from alcohol and women. Was that original Howard, pastiche, Marvel, or an extrapolation?

 

[VincentDarlage]

I don't think it was in Howard's writing. The most he said about either god (Erlik or Tarim) was to have Turanians swear by them. It may be an extrapulation from a pastiche where it is written that followers of the Tarim consider Lotus to be a sacred thing, reserved for true believers in the afterlife.

Interestingly, L. Sprague de Camp hinted that worshippers of Erlik may be cannibals. In The Flame Knife, (which de Camp rewrote from Howard's non-Conan Three Bladed Doom) de Camp says, 'Conan stooped and pushed back the Khitan's upper lip, showing the canine teeth filed to points. 'Another son of Erlik, the Yellow God of Death.'

 

[Anonymous]

I don't think it was in Howard's writing. The most he said about either god (Erlik or Tarim) was to have Turanians swear by them. It may be an extrapulation from a pastiche where it is written that followers of the Tarim consider Lotus to be a sacred thing, reserved for true believers in the afterlife.

Interestingly, L. Sprague de Camp hinted that worshippers of Erlik may be cannibals. In The Flame Knife, (which de Camp rewrote from Howard's non-Conan Three Bladed Doom) de Camp says, 'Conan stooped and pushed back the Khitan's upper lip, showing the canine teeth filed to points. 'Another son of Erlik, the Yellow God of Death.'

The possible cannibalism angle was never explored in any of the later pastiches, and the Turanians seemed quite civilized.

What do you think of creating a religion write-up for the Hyrkanian Sky God? The pastiches indicate the tribes have evil shamen capable of minor spellcasting. So it would seem that Hyrkanians would gain Spells (any except Oriental or Necromancy) as benefit of their worship. Hyrkanians hold their dead as both sacred and inviolate, thus I would rule they do not practice Necromancy. What kind of cost is there to maintain good faith with their religion? I assume outcast shamen are banished.

There are so many different Hyrkanian tribes with different customs (especially well-detailed in CONAN THE MARAUDER by John Maddox Roberts) that religious bpractices (not the god) would seem to differ wildly per tribe.

 

[JamesMishler]

There is an excellent reference to Mongol-Turkic religion on this Web site:

http://www.peoples.org.ru/tatar/eng_174.html

Tons of great inspirational material for Hyrkanians and Turanians alike!